Sichuan: Daocheng Yading—the Last Pure Land on the Blue Planet

70 days have past since I came back from Daocheng Yading, China’s southwestern Sichuan Province. Sometimes, I feel this journey is just like a dream. When I just waked up, I could not tell what is dream and what is reality. But in these days, I got to know it clearly — it was a dream, but a real existential dream. I began to recall the memory and write the dreamland in my heart.

The first time when I knew Daocheng Yading through a set of pictures on micro blog, I was shocked and never expected a place could be, just so beautiful. I still remember what I said at that time: I wanna conquer it! Later, I found many pictures and introduces about Daocheng Yading, but which impresses me most is the sentence: “Daocheng Yading, the last pure land on the blue planet.”

I have been wondering, how could it be so beautiful as to get such a description? The numerous pictures online or in magazine could not satisfy my imagination anymore, so I decided to go there, in person. Of all the Tibetan regions, where I have already been, never have I seen a prospect which is finer than that I find here

Daocheng Yading is located in the south of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, far southeast of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, under the administration of Sichuan Province. Daocheng is a Kham county blessed with a varied and beautiful landscape. Covering an area of 1,344 square kilometers, it is one of the best preserved and the most primeval alpine natural ecosystems in China.

Beijing: Pine Valley

Pine Valley is located in Changping District, Beijing City. Crouching on the Great Wall and lying near Yanshan Mountain, the Pine Valley is the most the most auspicious land in Beijing according to Chinese feng shui ( an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China which is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure health and good fortune for people inhabiting it.). For those golfers, Pine Valley is absolutely a must-go place in their Beijing Xian tour.

As the leading hacienda-style project in China which integrates sports, tourism, leisure, and vacation spending, Pine Valley is the largest the first by-invitation-only golf club in China, featuring world class course design, private club space and international standard management team.

The Pine Valley consists of the golf course designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, the most largest golf club in Asia, the 5-star luxury hotel, world-class equestrian clubs, ecological base and life science and health center etc. It aims at forging a superior guest experience, and offering a high-level platform for enjoying golf, leisure and business communications for social elites.

If you want to golf in a Xian tour, then the Xian International Golf Club Co. , Ltd. is strongly recommended. It is designed by the famous golf designer CHRISTINA DIKSON and is the best golf course in Xian.

Beijing: The Heaven Worshiping Ceremony

2010 is the sixth cultural week of the Temple of Heaven Park. I got the news that this cultural week will last for five days from the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day. So I made a Beijing Xian tour plan in advance and set off to Beijing. It was said the heaven worshiping ceremony would be conducted according to the standard of that in the thirteenth year (1748A.D.) of Qianlong reign in Qing Dynasty to reproduce the grand and magnificent scene of ancient heaven worshiping ceremony.

Built in the 1420 of Ming dynasty, the Temple of Heaven is one of the most iconic landmarks in Beijing. Emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasty would use the temple as the imperial sacrificial altar during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties to worship the heaven for a good harvest.
The itinerary of the heaven worshiping performance this year has changed and the actors had also been in the greatest number in the previous years. As usual, hundreds of performers wear costumes of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) act out the Heaven Worship ceremony as what their ancestor did for centuries. According to historical data, total 22 emperors had held 654 heaven worshiping ceremonies in the Temple of Heaven.

During the Xian tour, different temple fairs were also being held in this traditional Spring Festival. But to be honest, it is far less spectacular than the Heaven Worshiping Performance of Beijing.

Sunny Shanghai: Magical Metropolis under the Blue Sky and White Clouds

Begin from late July, everyday the head will always be blue sky and white clouds. The sunny weather stirs my heart and tempts me to go outside, even though there is scorching sun.

In July and March of every year, Shanghai will witness its most days with blue sky and white clouds, which perhaps because of the typhoon. July and March are the months of plentiful typhoons. The increase of typhoons leads to the growth of typhoon clouds. The good weather will always make these shutterbugs’ hearts skip a beat and go out for a hunt of magnificent sceneries. Therefore, for those who are planing a Shanghai Xian tour, July and March are the best time.

Tourism Times published a passage as a full-page report which is themed as “ ‘Postcard’ Sky of Shanghai Shows Up — the most clear and enchanting sky in Shanghai this year”. The Shanghai of late July and early August is really nice so that it gives you a delusion of spending vacations on seaside. Photographers in Shanghai divide into a few groups and photographed the blue skies in downtown Shanghai and the blue sea in the suburb.

Unlike Shanghai, such good weather will be seldom seen in your Xian tour, due to the geographic location and other relative reasons.

Beijing: Several Places to Appreciate Lotus in Beijing

I like summer because of lotus. I like her posture under the bright sun and I like her incessant faint fragrance. Every branch and vine stretch naturally, which brings you a cool breeze and refreshing in a hot and restless summer. The lotus has been eulogized in Chinese literature, as well as traditional Chinese ink and water paintings. Today, I will introduce a few perfect places to appreciate lotus in Beijing just for advice for your Beijing Xian tour in summer day:

1. The Old Summer Palace (known in Chinese as Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden) Why we like it: In the 300 year old imperial garden, you can see the unique tropical waterlily without going outside downtown Beijing. From June to March every year, it is the time for lotus blooming in the Old Summer Palace. No matter entering from the Palace Gate of Qichunyuan or the eastern gate of Changchunyuan, visitors can appreciate the infinite variety of lotus of enchanting postures.
2. The Summer Palace Why we like it: A spectacular scene of “pink lotus after the rain” could be seen here. Stand on the west causeway and look toward the west, The Zhijingge Lake and Zaojiantan Lake become covered with pink lotus flowers in the peak of summer. The flowers become even more vivid and gorgeous after rain.

3. Zizhuyuan Park Why we like it: Primarily famed for its diverse species of bamboo, the park has grown lotus for over 40 years since it opened in 1953. Visitors can enjoy a close look at the flowers by riding a boat in the ponds. They can observe different types, ranging from some native to China and others from further afield. In addition to what I talked above, there are also other places to appreciate the lotus flowers in Beijing, such as Beijing botanical garden, the Yuyuantan Park, the Lotus Pond Park, the Beihai Park, the Grand Sight Garden in Xuanwu District, the lotus market in Shichahai Lake etc. Of course, if you travel Xian, beautiful lotus flowers can also be found in September in the Tang Paradise.

Tibet: Yamzho Yumco Lake

Located on southern Tibetan Plateau, Lake Yamzho Yumco is 120 km south of Lhasa, capital city of Tibet. With over 72 km (45 miles) long, the lake is also known as the Scorpion Lake, because it looks like a scorpion. It is the largest freshwater lake in Tibet. It covers an area of 800 square kilometers and with its depth ranging from 30 to 40 meters.

Lying at an elevation of 4,400 meters above sea level, the lake is surrounded by many snow capped mountains, with many small streams empty into it. When I saw it at the first time, I have to admit that Xian travel does leave me blissful experience, but I have never seen such a beautiful lake in the previous Beijing to Xian tour until I have arrived in Tibet. Yamzho means upper pasture and Yum means jade respectively in Tibetan. Because the water has a high mineral content and a low nutrient content, the lake looks incredible blue, which makes the lake look like a big piece of sapphire inlaid in the mountains, shining and splendid.

The lake is rich in hydropower resources. Its surface is more than 800 meters higher than the Yarlung Zangbo River at the foot of the mountain. Also here stands the Yamzho Yunco Power Station well known for its high elevation in the world. To its south stands the magnificent Samding Monastery where Doje Pamo, the only woman Living Buddha in Tibet, stayed and presided.

Shanghai: Ancient Town of Qibao

Qibao is an ancient town which is nearest to downtown Shanghai. It is divided into north street and south street, with curio, scripts and paintings, handiworks and special snacks as their main characteristics respectively. Qibao ancient street is a place that I am familiar too well. My father has told me that my grandpa’s grandpa’s ancestors had lived in the Six Bridge region in Qibao for generations. Later, due to the expansion of the road, our ancestral residence was pulled down. After that, my grandparents moved to Xujiahui area, and my father was born and grow up there. When he was young, he had went back to Qibao twice to see some old relatives. But when it comes to my generation, no one has been back there.

Today’s Qiaobao ancient town sets in the Eighth Bridge area of the former one, where is near our old home. Perhaps because of an innate intimacy to Qibao ancient town, my family and I like to have a walk here or find a restaurant by water or have a taste of tea and chat in a small tea house. Sometimes, we would sucked into the delicious street snacks, all along from this side to another.

The Chinese Spring Festival is coming. Many friends are planing to travel in the holiday. If you join a Shanghai to Xian tour, then why not come to the ancient town of Qibao and have a taste of Chinese Lunar New Year? By the way, if you travel to Xian, Hui Street is a good place for you to enjoy the local favor snacks.

Beijing: Zhenjue Temple

 Zhenjue Temple, also known as Wuta Temple, is the earliest Vajra throne pagoda in China. hidden in the Wutasi Street in the back of animal zoo, it is now the Beijing Museum of Stone Carving Art. Zhenjue Temple was a very splendid temple in ancient time, but now it is known by very little people, because the temple site has been vanished. Therefore, last time I visit the Beijing for 4 days, I did not even heard about it. In Oct, I join a Xian one day tour from beijing, in there I had visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which is built by a great monk Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty。

 It has been said that the Vajra throne pagoda was built according to the structure of India’s Buddhagaya temple and was built with white marble. There are four pagodas constructed like the one in Zhenjue Temple. The first one is Qingjing-Huacheng Pagoda in Huangsi Street, the second one is Biyun Temple in Xiangshan Hill, and the third one is Miaogao Pagoda in Yuquan Mount, and the last one is Zhenjue Pagoda.

It is said that the pagoda can be climbed up before, but it is now closed. Several years ago, when I walked here I had been to the top of the pagoda. In 1987, many stone inscriptions were moved here from different places in Beijing, then the themed museum of stone inscription was officially established in Beijing. In autumn, Zhenjue Temple is a good place for tea tasting and gossip. I have a wonderful trip during my xian tour.